Readers as Hunters....

First-time YA author Kay Cassidy believes in paying it forward, which led her to create an unusual thank-you for an Indiana librarian who introduced her to some teen titles that she loved: the Great Scavenger Hunt contest. The monthly contest, which she began last April, consists of a book-related trivia challenge for kids, administered by librarians—and offers a chance for both to win free books.
Kay Cassidy."I was looking for a way to keep kids reading other than by writing books," says Cassidy. "I thought it would be fun to do a trivia contest and contacted a few of my friends." Initially she did outreach to a few librarians she knew, who posted information about it on their state listservs. From there, the contest took off. Young people between the ages of eight and 19 scavenge to find the answers to 10 trivia questions about a middle-grade or YA book that they have read from among the 350 titles in the program. The tests are administered by the 500 participating librarians. Children, aka hunters, who get eight answers right are entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate for the bookstore of their choice. The librarian who submitted the winner's name gets to choose five free books for their library.
L. to r.: last November's Scavenger Hunt winner Hannah Smith from Lapel High School in Lapel, Ind.; Cassidy; and winning librarian Kim Murdock, also of Lapel High School.To encourage busy librarians and authors to participate, Cassidy created a Web site where they can sign up and get more information. So far, she says, participating libraries are split evenly between school and public libraries. The former are using the Great Scavenger Hunt to encourage reading during the school year, while public libraries see it as an opportunity to promote summer reading. Only six Canadian libraries have signed on to date, but Cassidy is working to boost that figure as well as participation in the U.S.
When she launched the program, Cassidy started with New York Times bestsellers and Newbery and Printz Award winners. One year later the contest has grown to include debut novels like her own recently released The Cinderella Society (Egmont USA). Each month Cassidy adds eight new titles, with related questions, and sends out an e-newsletter to librarians that highlight recent additions. Some librarians, she notes, are printing out the newsletters and posting them to let kids know about new books.
Saying "I'm in it for the long haul," Cassidy continues to fund and operate the entire program herself. In the coming year she looks forward to seeing more kids reading and more libraries signing on for the Great Scavenger Hunt—and maybe getting an assistant.

Surprise Your Parents!! Some Easter Facts.....

• According to widespread belief, Easter owes its name to “Eastre”, the Anglo-Saxon goddess symbolizing hare and egg. Another theory suggests that it comes from the early German word “eostarun”, meaning dawn and white.
• Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.• Easter is a “moveable feast” as it does not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars. The full moon determines the date of Easter.
• “Pysanka” is a name given to the tradition of Easter egg painting.
• The color used in painting the eggs differ in different nations. Orthodox Grecians paint their eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Some Germans and Austrians paint their eggs green and use them on Holy Thursday. Slavic peoples decorate their eggs in gold and silver patterns.
• Chocolate eggs were traditionally given as gifts in Europe.
• In 19th century Europe, bitter dark chocolate was used to make small egg shapes. These chocolate eggs were traditionally exchanged as Easter gifts, especially in countries like France and Germany.
• Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies and 16 billion jelly beans are produced each year before the commencement of the Easter festivities. As a holiday, Easter comes only second to Halloween in terms of the annual sale confectionary items.
• 76 percent of people eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25 feet high and weighed 8,968 lbs.
• In countries like Hungary and Transylvania, the day after Easter is called “Locsolo Hetfo” meaning “Watering Monday”. This is because water, perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg on this day.

Still More From Shel...

Unfortunately for us, Shel Silverstein passed away in 1999--but he isn't done tickling our funny bone just yet. Harper Collins Children's Books recently announced that they will be publishing a posthumous book of Shel's poetry in 2011; chock full of those silly illustrations and rhymes that make his work so memorable. The beloved author of Falling Up, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and A Light in the Attic has sold more than 25 million copies of his books and has been translated into 30 languages.

A Meyer Novel of Interest....

Fans whose hopes were dashed when Stephenie Meyer sidelined Midnight Sun, her planned fifth book in the Twilight Saga, after it was leaked online, have reason to get excited. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will publish Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella on Saturday, June 5. The book goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. with a 1.5 million-copy first printing (an e-book version will be available at 6:00 a.m.). One dollar for each copy sold from the first printing will be donated to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner tells the story of a newborn vampire introduced in Eclipse, who will also appear in the film version of Eclipse, scheduled to be released on June 30. The book was originally envisioned as part of Meyer's The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide. "I'm as surprised as anyone about this novella," said Meyer in a statement. "When I began working on it in 2005, it was simply an exercise to help me examine the other side of Eclipse, which I was editing at the time. I thought it might end up as a short story that I could include on my website. Then, when work started on The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide, I thought the Guide would be a good fit for my Bree story. However, the story grew longer than I anticipated, until it was too long to fit into the Guide."
In addition to the print edition, the book will be available to read online for free from June 7 to July 5 at http://www.publishersweekly.com/common/jumplink.php?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.breetanner.com. "[S]ince this story had always been an extra for me, and was meant to be released with the Guide, I wanted to be able to offer it to my fans for free," Meyer said in a post about the book on her Web site. "You all have bought a ton of my books, and I wanted to give you this story as a gift."
Meyer's Twilight Saga has been published in nearly 50 countries and has sold more than 100 million copies, including nearly 26.5 million in 2009 alone, according to PW's recent Facts and Figures issue.

How Now Mad Cow....

Perhaps many of you have already read Libba Bray, after all she's the writer of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, which I've seen leave the check-out desk many, many times. Her new book, Going Bovine, recently won the Printz award for 2010 and so I wanted to let you guys (and gals!) know about it.
Going Bovine is written from the point of view of Cameron Smith, a down and out high school student who discovers he has the fatal brain disease, Mad Cow. His life is pretty boring at the start of the book: he's a social misfit with an incredibly popular older sister, his parents are both teachers, he's an underachiever, and has very few friends. His life changes when he starts having strange visions and convulsions. While in the hospital, Cameron is visited by an angel with pink hair and combat boots named Dulcie. She tells him that his disease has been caused by a wizard and that the same forces destroying his brain will eventually destroy the world. Dulcie tells him if he can find Dr. X he can be cured and save the world
Talk about pressure!
On his quest Cameron meets all sorts of people: Gonzo, a Mexican-American dwarf from his high school, a garden gnome who's really a Norse God, a happiness cult, an Inuit rock band and more. His journey takes him from his Texas hometown to New Orleans and Florida.
Cameron's voice is unique and very funny--I think a lot of you will relate to his pop culture references and the soul-searching he is trying to do to save himself and the world. This book will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even go a bit "mad".......
To read a free sample of this new book, go to Libba Bray's website http://www.libbabray.com/

An Interview with Carrie Ryan

Yesterday I told you about two books I was really enjoying: The Forest of Hands and Teeth and the Dead Tossed Waves. As chance would have it, I stumbled upon an interview with the author, Carrie Ryan, which I thought would add some creedence to my recommendation. Hope you enjoy it:

Do you think of The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves as zombie novels?

I think of them as novels that happen to have zombies in them. When we say zombie novels people expect the zombie apocalypse. But my books are about how you survive intense challenges in life and there are zombies around while you are trying to survive them.

How about as dystopian novels?

I don't know if I'd consider them dystopian. Though I think that people who like dystopian novels would like my books because society has fallen apart and the stories are about how you live in such a society.

How did you conceive of the world?

I became fascinated by zombies when my fiancé took me to see Dawn of the Dead. That's when I began a steady diet of zombie movies and books. Then for NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month] in 2006 I had to start a new novel and for the fun of it I decided to write my zombie apocalypse. The first line came to me on the way home one day and this book eventually became The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I wanted to experiment with voice—I didn't think it would go anywhere really—it really was an experiment. The dedication of the book is to my fiancé JP for giving me the world-we spent so much time talking about zombies and the world for this book.

Why so bleak all the time?

That's just the world of my protagonists. It's a terrible world. It's a world that isn't fair. A lot of what Mary—my heroine in The Forest of Hands and Teeth—has to do is constantly make hard choices. She was to decide what she is willing to give up in order to take risk on her own behalf. I thought her story and Gabry's story—my heroine in The Dead-Tossed Waves—are hopeful in the end. In both books the characters learn a tremendous amount about themselves. They learn to trust others, and to rely on and believe in themselves.

Why did you switch heroines between books?

The first book was supposed to be a standalone. When we talked about the possibility of a sequel I was excited because I loved Mary's world. Then I thought it would be unfair to Mary to get her all the way to where she was at the end of The Forest of Hands and Teeth—which I think was a really hopeful place after so much loss and difficulty—and then say, "psyche!" and push her into more peril for the next book. Besides, I really like introducing a reader to a world through someone who has always lived in it, and Mary hadn't grown up in Gabry's world, which is the setting for The Dead-Tossed Waves.

Where do you get your inspiration to write?

A lot of times something that unsettles me will stick in me and I want to figure it out, figure out why it's unsettling. When I was watching Dawn of the Dead I started wondering what I would do to survive a zombie apocalypse. When something doesn't fit together in my head I usually figure it out through telling a story about it, and with these two novels I am trying to figure a zombie apocalypse out through these two characters and by asking how far they are willing to go to survive.

How would you describe your writing style?

One thing that really matters to me is the rhythm of the world—I don't use a lot of commas and I want the reader to literally be breathless. The voice for The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a voice I found first in college and I'm really glad I found it again. I was taking a personal essay class and the assignment was to echo Jamaica Kincaid. This story I wrote came out with this rhythm and a lot of repetition—it came from nowhere. When I think about where the voice of these two books came from I can pinpoint exactly this story from college.

Has your writing process changed at all since you got published and started making a name for yourself?

Before selling books I had all the time in the world to figure my story out, but now I'm under more pressure. But I also have the experience of being able to make a story work at least once or twice before, so now when I start to feel panic I also have more confidence in being able to do it again this time.

Tell us what's next?

There is a third book in the series coming out in a year—next spring. It's called The Dark and Hollow Places. It's already written.

Will you ever write a happy book?

I'm not telling—that would be a spoiler! Well, I don't think my books are unhappy books, really. People say they're scary and I didn't intend them to be scary. I feel like even in a world that's terrifying you still have friends and love and hope—it's just friendship and love and hope that are appropriate to the nature of that world. Mary and Gabry both have to have happiness in these things, because without them they'd just give up. In even a dark, dark time you can find happiness.

What are you doing to celebrate the release of The Dead-Tossed Waves?

I'm on tour and it's great—I have an event every night and I'm having the best time. I started the tour the Tuesday the book came out—March 9th. I love talking to readers and writers and meeting people. A bookstore is actually hosting a zombie prom on Friday night to celebrate my book in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Then in Seattle, a bookstore has two makeup artists coming in to turn everyone into zombies.

Love? Adventure? ....Zombies?

If you haven't picked up Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan or it's sequel, The Dead Tossed Waves, I suggest you do so immediately. They are intelligently written, fast-paced, thought provoking, and most importantly.....delightfully scary!! Like a bon-bon or cherry smoothie these books are so delicious you almost feel guilty savouring them. I recently finished the second book which is receiving great reviews from the publishing community as well as your peers! If you enjoyed Incarceron, Leviation, Shiver, or the Hunger Games, chances are you would also enjoy these books. In addition, there is an awesome love story that takes place in both books that will surely keep you entertained and take care of your romance-bug. Guys will appreciate the adventure and zombie killing action, while you ladies will be taken away by the plot and the riveting relationships that take place. Recommended for both sexes, ages 13 and up. But beware---like smoothies, they're totally addicting!